


Cookie Cure

by SilverArson



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Nightmares, Platonic VLD Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 09:23:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12554312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverArson/pseuds/SilverArson
Summary: Keith is having trouble sleeping. Hunk makes him cookies and Shiro talks it out with Keith.





	Cookie Cure

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the prompt "nightmare" for Platonic VLD Week (Oct-Nov 2017). Keith is the only character that has canonically experienced a nightmare, and I feel like people forget that sometimes, so I chose to focus on him. Thanks for reading!

The clank of dishes in the dark silence made Shiro’s ears perk up. The castle lights had dimmed in an imitation of night over five vargas ago and no one should have been up, much less in the  _ kitchen _ .

Shiro stepped through the open doorway into the kitchen’s warm white light and Hunk looked up from a batch of raw dough to offer a tired but sincere smile. Keith, sitting at the counter near Hunk with a cup trapped in his hands, immediately looked down at whatever drink he had inside it. It wasn't fast enough to hide his red-rimmed eyes. He sniffled quickly. 

“Hey, Shiro,” Hunk said, lightly waving the mixing spoon. His dark brown hair looked mussed from his pillow, but it didn't even compare to the rat’s nest on Keith's head. “What are you doing up?”

Shiro dropped into the cold seat next to Keith. Keith’s grip on his cup tightened and his shoulders tensed. Shiro, hyper-aware of this response but pretending not to notice, kept his tone easy. “Couldn't sleep and figured I'd go for a walk. It turns out these lion slippers are quite comfortable.” Shiro wiggled his toes against the soft fabric.

Hunk grinned and gestured toward his own feet briefly as Keith sniffled again. “Aren't they? I'm wearing mine, too.”

Shiro leaned back from the counter to look at Keith’s feet. “Where are yours? Aren't your feet cold?”

Keith curled his toes in tightly as if he could hide them from Shiro. “I'm fine.”

Shiro tried to catch his gaze but Keith stared into his cup with hard eyes. All that determination, just for what looked like Kaltenecker’s milk. 

Shiro didn't push and turned back to Hunk, who met his gaze with a sympathetic shrug before his eyes drifted back to Keith. The three of them sat in silence as Hunk the began transferring raw dough onto a cookie sheet for baking.

Keith stood abruptly without looking up. “Sorry to bother you, Hunk. I'm going back to—”

“Not when the first batch is almost in the oven!” Hunk blurted, holding his hands out to either side. “Come on, man. At least stick around for one cookie.”

Keith stilled, caught off guard by Hunk's interruption. Shiro reached up and put a gentle hand on Keith’s shoulder, drawing Keith's attention to him. “I'd like your company, if you could stay.”

Keith’s eyes brimmed with tears and he wiped at them furiously with gloveless hands. Keith rarely ever left his hands bare. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, man,” Hunk said before Shiro could. “We all cry.” He glanced at Shiro. “I mean, Shiro might not, but the rest of us mortals do.”

Shiro chuckled. “You'd be surprised.”

Keith dragged the stool closer to the counter again and sat back down. “Yeah. Shiro always cried his way through finals at the Garrison.” He smirked faintly at Shiro in an effort to show he was just fine. Really.

Hunk stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at Shiro. The glob of dough he’d been transferring hung in the air halfway to the cookie sheet. “Are you serious? You always got perfect marks!”

Shiro squinted at Keith. “Stop telling Hunk embarrassing things about me.”

“No, Keith, tell me  _ all _ the embarrassing stories,” Hunk encouraged. “I'll reheat the leftover cookies in the morning just for you.”

Keith gave Shiro the side-eye and spoke slowly. “That does sound pretty tempting.”

Shiro frowned indignantly. “Hunk, no bribing.”

“Guilty as charged but not remorseful,” Hunk said. “You game, Keith?”

Keith smiled sincerely, despite his red eyes, and Shiro knew his reputation was in jeopardy.

Hunk learned about Shiro sneaking food from the kitchens (which made him admire Shiro even more), Shiro's abuse of his teachers’-favorite status to get away with not shaving for a week, and the time he and Matt rigged the simulator to play hard rock whenever someone crashed it, among other things. Hunk put the first batch of cookies in the oven as they laughed and the warm scent of sugar filled the kitchen. As the dobashes ticked by, the conversation shifted to Hunk's own adventures in the Garrison—all Lance's fault, naturally—and Keith fell into the background of the conversation. At first, Shiro did his best to keep Keith involved, but then it became obvious that Keith was trying desperately not to fall asleep. Keith put his elbow on the counter, rested his cheek on his hand, and attempted to keep his eyes from slipping closed by nibbling on a cookie. 

Shiro wasn't going to help him stay awake. He stopped trying to involve Keith and instead chatted quietly with Hunk, who picked up on Shiro's idea and Keith's drooping eyelids and lowered his own voice. “The worst rule at the Garrison was definitely that you had to eat everything on your plate,” Hunk said, untying his spotless yellow apron. “Some of that food was an absolute crime, I tell you.”

Keith, having only managed to nibble halfway through a cookie, couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. The cookie slipped from his fingers and landed on the counter with a small burst of crumbs. 

Hunk and Shiro immediately dropped into quiet murmurs. “Was it?” Shiro asked as Hunk removed his apron. Shiro didn't remember being particularly bothered by the food at the Garrison, but then he’d also never been a picky eater. He’d never admit it to Hunk, but most cheeses tasted the same to Shiro—with the only exceptions being sharp cheddar and pepper jack. 

Hunk’s lips twisted in disgust, and he probably would have given Shiro a particularly animated response if Keith’s breathing pattern hadn't just evened out. Instead, Hunk took a deep, steadying breath before dropping the topic. For the time being. 

“Poor guy,” Hunk whispered. Anticipating the question on Shiro’s lips, Hunk added, “He woke up screaming from a nightmare. That woke me up and I went to check on him.” His eyes darkened. “It took ten minutes to get him to stop crying.”

Shiro’s heart sank and he looked at the red puffiness still evident around Keith's eyes. Shiro should have been there for Keith. “Thank you, Hunk. I'll get him back to bed.”

Hunk nodded before giving Shiro a patronizing look. “You make sure to get some sleep, too, Shiro.”

Shiro chuckled, appreciating Hunk’s concern for his wellbeing. “I will.” He'd try, anyway. For Hunk.

After Hunk took off for bed, Shiro reached out to touch Keith's shoulder. The boy was a notoriously light sleeper and Shiro knew he wouldn't appreciate waking up to Shiro carrying him around like a child. “Hey, Keith?” Shiro whispered.

Keith jolted awake violently as Shiro’s palm pressed to his shoulder. Shiro jumped to catch him before he could topple off his stool, but Keith screamed and kicked to escape Shiro's hold. “Keith! Keith, it’s me!” Keith’s flailing legs kicked the stool over and it crashed to the cold, metal floor with a clatter that would undoubtedly wake the whole castle and alert every Galran fleet within five galaxies of their presence. “It’s Takashi!”

Keith sagged in Shiro's hold but his heart didn't stop pounding sharply. “T-Takashi?”

Shiro lifted Keith up to help him regain his footing. “Yes. It's just me.”

Keith burst into fresh tears and pushed away from Shiro to stand on his own. “I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot.”

“What's going on, Keith?” Shiro asked, unable to keep his voice level. He'd never seen Keith startled like that and he wanted to tear apart whatever had upset Keith enough to scream himself awake. 

Keith shook his head a wiped furiously at the river of tears he was too exhausted to stop. “I shouldn't be acting like this. I'm—I just—I'm going to bed. Forget this happened. Please.” He started to walk away but nearly tripped over his own feet.

Shiro caught hold of his arm to stop him. “You're completely exhausted. How much sleep have you gotten in the last few days?” 

“I'm fi—”

Shiro’s shoulders drooped. “Please don't lie to me, Keith,” he said softly. “I've noticed your fighting and reaction time have been worse over the last few days. I know you've been tired. How much sleep have you been getting?”

Keith looked at the floor and mumbled, “About two hours.”

“Two hours a night?”

“Two hours total the last three nights.”

Shiro swore. “Why?”

Keith just shook his head and sniffled through a fresh wave of tears. Shiro’s brow furrowed in concern. “All right. You don't have to explain. Let’s just get you to bed, okay?” 

Keith, looking everywhere except at Shiro, nodded. He turned and pattered out of the kitchen, his shoulders sagging and his footsteps small. Shiro's heart clenched at the sight of Keith collapsing in on himself like melting plastic. Shiro caught up to Keith and, without even a word, tucked his arms behind Keith's back and knees and lifted him up. Keith’s watery, dark blue eyes went wide and he finally looked at Shiro, who offered a small smile.

“I can walk,” Keith said.

“I know.” Shiro headed towards Keith's room.

Keith slowly relaxed into Shiro's hold and rested his head on Shiro’s shoulder. Keith had always been on the smaller side, but he felt even smaller in that moment. 

Shiro reached Keith's room and set him at the head of his bed. The faint blue light strips cast shadows over the rumpled covers, which were undoubtedly askew because of Keith's rough awakening earlier. Neither of them commented on it as Shiro straightened the covers out and picked up the pillow off the floor. Shiro stepped back, waiting for Keith to climb under the blankets.

Keith, sitting up by the pillow, stared at the foot of the bed and didn't move.  His jaw clenched tightly as he considered something Shiro couldn't see.

Words finally exploded free like water boiling over. “You wouldn't ever abandon me, right?” Keith looked up at Shiro and two tears slipped free, catching the blue lights and creating unnatural, glowing lines down his cheeks. 

“Of course n—”

“Because I had a dream that I went looking for my parents and when I found them, they just walked away. And I tried to find you and Allura and everyone again, but you all ignored my hailing frequency and I could—I could see the castle but I couldn't catch up with you and nobody came to get me, not even Red, and then a star collapsed behind me and I was going to die and I screamed but nobody heard me and everything was fire and light and I couldn't breathe and—”

Shiro pulled Keith into a tight hug. “I would  _ never _ leave you behind. Ever.”

Keith's shoulders shook with frantic sobs and Shiro rubbed his human hand in small circles on his back. Keith's black shirt felt soft beneath his fingers. 

“I keep having nightmares,” Keith hiccuped. “I'm so tired but I'm scared of falling asleep.”

Shiro's jaw clenched with recognition. He'd been where Keith was. 

“And I shouldn't be scared because I'm a paladin of Voltron.”

“That's not true,” Shiro said over Keith's sobs. “All of us get scared. Being a paladin is the scariest thing I've experienced.”

“You're just saying that.”

“I would never lie to you.” Shiro’s lips quirked up into a faint smile. “You'd be able to tell.”

Keith choked out a laugh and tried to keep hold of that little burst of light to get himself to stop crying.

“Keith, I will never leave you behind. None of us would ever do that. We care about you.”

“You’ve left before though.”

Shiro’s heart sank. He and Keith hadn’t talked about the Kerberos mission much. They just didn’t have time. But apparently Keith was struggling to let go of it still.  “I came back. And I’ll keep coming back every time I leave. I’d give up my other hand for you, Keith. I wouldn’t hesitate.”

Keith’s grip on Shiro’s pajama shirt tightened and he hugged Shiro with all the energy and desperation he had. Shiro hugged him back, not quite as tightly but just enough to let Keith know he wasn’t letting go until Keith was ready. 

Keith mumbled something into Shiro’s shirt and Shiro strained his ears to catch what he said. “I don’t want to sleep again because I don’t want to have another nightmare. And it’s pathetic.”

Shiro shook his head. “No, it isn’t. And I’ll stay here until you fall asleep.”

Keith pulled back, watching him with tired but wary blue eyes. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Shiro didn’t leave until well after Keith drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Buy me a [kofi](https://ko-fi.com/P5P0BQ48)? :D Any donations are greatly appreciated and motivate me to write more.


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